Study Guide - Orlando Shakespeare Theater

Curriculum Guide 2013 - 2014
A Night In New Orleans
A Magic Tree House®Adventure
Sunshine State Standards
Language Arts
• LA.7-12.2.1.4
• LA.7-12.2.3.1
• LA.7-12.5.2.1
• LA.7-12.5.2.2
• LA.7-12.5.2.4
• LA.7-12.5.2.5
Theater Arts
• TH.D.1.4
• TH.S.1.5
• TH.S.1.7
• TH.S.3.2
• TH.S.3.3
Common Core Standards
• RL. 9-10.5
• RL. 9-10.3
• SL 9-10.1
• SL. 8.4
Table of Contents
A Letter from the Director of Education
p. 3
Meet the Creative Team
Mary Pope Osborne, Author
Will Osborne, Book and Lyrics
Murray Horwitz, Book and Lyrics
Allen Toussaint, Music and Additional Lyrics
More Chat with Mary Pope Osborne and Will Osborne
p. 4
p. 4
p. 4
p. 5
p. 6
p. 7
Before the Performance
Meet the Characters
Read the Synopsis
Vocabulary
In the Classroom
p. 10
p. 10
p. 12
p. 13
During the Performance
Theater is a Team Sport (“Who Does What?”)
The Actor/Audience Relationship
p. 14
p. 15
After the Performance
In the Classroom
Reflect, Connect, Expand
Mary Pope Osborne’s Classroom Adventures Program
More Resources
p. 16
p. 17
p. 18
p. 19
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A Letter from the Director of Education
“All the world’s a stage,” William Shakespeare tells
us, “and all the men and women merely players.” I
invite you and your class to join us on the world of
our stage, where we not only rehearse and perform,
but research, learn, teach, compare, contrast, analyze,
critique, experiment, solve problems and work as a
team to expand our horizons.
We’re “Shakin’ It Up” at Orlando Shakes, with new
Lesson Plans designed to assist teachers with
curriculum needs while sharing what is unique and
magical about the Theater Arts. We’ve designed our
Curriculum Guides with Sunshine State Standards in mind. You’ll find a first
section which will help you prepare your students for the theatrical experience,
a second section suggesting what to watch and listen for during the
performance, and lastly, discussion questions and lesson plans to use when you
are back in your classroom, to help your students connect what they’ve learned
to their lives and your diverse and demanding curriculum.
I believe that as an Educator it is imperative that I continue learning as I teach
and teaching as I learn. It is my sincere hope that you will find our Curriculum
Guides helpful to you and eye opening for your students. Feel free to contact us
at Orlando Shakes should you have any questions or suggestions on how we
can better serve you. We are always learning from you.
Thank you for the tremendous work you do each and every day in nurturing
our audiences of tomorrow.
Curtain Up!!
Anne Hering
Director of Education
3
Meet the Creative Team
A Night in New Orleans
Trackers to expand upon the history,
geography, biology, and science
introduced in the fiction series. The
Fact Tracker series is currently the
bestselling non-fiction children’s
series in America.
From 1993-1997, Ms. Osborne
served as president of the Authors
Guild, the country’s leading
organization for published authors.
She has since traveled extensively in
the States and abroad, visiting
Mary Pope Osborne
schools and speaking on issues
(Author)
related to children’s literacy.
Mary Pope Osborne is the awardRecently she delivered a speech at
winning author of more than 100
the UN regarding worldwide literacy
books for children and young adults,
goals; in November she attended the
including retellings of mythology
Tokyo International Film Festival for
and folklore, picture books,
the premiere of a full-length
biographies, mysteries, and young
Japanese anime film based on her
adult novels. Her many titles include
Magic Tree House series, which is
American Tall Tales; One World,
currently the No. 1 bestselling
Many Religions; Favorite Greek
children’s book series in Japan. She
Myths; New York’s Bravest; Tales
is an active supporter of literacy
from the Odyssey, and a number of
causes around the world, helping get
books in the Dear America
books into the hands of deserving
collection. Ms. Osborne is bestchildren to stimulate their
known as the author of the Magic
imaginations and engender a lifelong
Tree House books, a New York
love of reading.
Times No. 1 Bestseller series about
To celebrate the 20th anniversary
the time-traveling brother and sister
of
her Magic Tree House series, Ms.
team, Jack and Annie. The series
Osborne has created the Magic Tree
itself has traveled to young readers
House Classroom Adventures
all over the world, having been
Program, which will be available
translated into 31 languages in 33
free of charge to teachers in
countries. Since publication of the
first title in the series in 1992, Magic elementary school classrooms
around the country. Developed with
Tree House has sold more than 100
a panel of educators and childhood
million books worldwide. Along
with her husband, Will Osborne and learning specialists, the program is
designed to energize a teacher’s
her sister, Natalie Pope Boyce, she
entire curriculum and help raise
has created a companion series of
non-fiction Magic Tree House Fact reading scores, providing a “gift of
4
time” to teachers with detailed
lesson plans, activities and other
resources. As part of the program,
Ms. Osborne, in partnership with
First Book, a not-for-profit
organization in Washington, D.C.,
will make donations of Magic Tree
House books to underserved schools.
In addition, Ms. Osborne and her
husband Will are currently working
with Music Theater International to
offer a series of classroom musicals
based on Magic Tree House books.
These plays will give children the
opportunity to perform in
professionally created adaptations of
the Magic Tree House adventures,
exposing many of them to the magic
of theater for the first time.
Also in the works is a full-scale,
Broadway-style family musical
based on Christmas in Camelot
(Magic Tree House No. 29.)
Will Osborne
(Book and Lyrics)
An internationally produced and
published playwright and book
author and respected director,
teacher and actor, Mr. Osborne
Meet the Creative Team
enjoys a career in professional
theater that spans four decades. His
play Smoke & Mirrors, a comic
murder mystery co-authored with
Anthony Herrera, has been
produced in theaters throughout the
United States, as well as in
Johannesburg, South Africa, and
Seoul, Korea. In 2007, collaborating
with Randy Courts, he provided
book and lyrics for Magic Tree
House: The Musical, a full-scale,
Broadway-style family musical
based on the bestselling series,
which traveled to 54 cities around
the country.
Mr. Osborne's writing for musical
theater also includes Saddle Jazz, a
Western Swing musical (music and
lyrics by Nick Plakias); The
Wonderful O, an adaptation of the
James Thurber novella (also with
Randy Courts), produced at the
West Bank Café in New York and
the Leonard Bernstein Institute in
Nashville; and Manifest Destiny, an
NEA-funded extravaganza set in
1840s America.
Mr. Osborne has authored more
than a dozen books for children and
young adults, many co-written with
his wife Mary Pope Osborne,
including the Magic Tree House
Research Guides series, two
retellings of Greek mythology, A
Time to Dance for the My America
series, and a picture book, Sleeping
Bobby, with award-winning
illustrator Giselle Potter. He has
also created several highly
acclaimed multi-media shows for
the Morehead Planetarium in
Chapel Hill, N.C., two of which
featured William Shatner and the
late Walter Cronkite.
A specialist in interpersonal
communication skills, Mr. Osborne
has developed and delivered highly
successful workshops in workshops
in Group Presentation, Creativity &
Spontaneity, Managerial
Counseling, and Diversity and
Discrimination, as well as providing
individual executive speaker
training and coaching for clients
including AstraZeneca, Merck,
Glaxo Smith Kline, and AT&T. His
corporate writing includes scripts
and speeches for live presentation,
training videos, promotional videos,
CDs, and interactive websites for
clients including Novartis,
AstraZeneca, Smith Barney,
Ericsson, Nortel, Electronics
Industry of America, MCI, and
many others. He is also founding
editor of Youth Markets Alert, a
market research newsletter focused
on America’s youth market.
Mr. Osborne is a member of the
Dramatists Guild, a founder of The
Writers Group in New York, a Phi
Beta Kappa graduate of the
University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill – and lead vocalist and
guitarist for the blues/R&B group
WillPower.
Murray Horwitz
(Book and Lyrics)
Murray Horwitz's
accomplishments in the performing
5
arts include authoring the hit
Broadway musical Ain't
Misbehavin’, originating the hit
National Public Radio comedy quiz,
Wait, Wait … Don’t Tell Me, and
writing the song lyrics for John
Harbison’s The Great Gatsby at the
Metropolitan Opera. His other
playwriting credits include Sole
Sisters at LaMama E.T.C., Hard Sell
at the N.Y. Shakespeare Festival,
and RFK – The Journey to Justice
for L.A. Theatreworks.
The winner of three Peabody
Awards, numerous ASCAP
songwriting awards, Tony, Obie,
and N.Y. Drama Critics Circle
awards (for Ain’t Misbehavin’), the
National Medal of Arts (for NPR
Cultural Programming), and the
Order of Arts and Letters from the
government of France, Mr. Horwitz
began his career as a clown in the
Ringling Bros. and Barnum &
Bailey Circus. He appears
frequently as a commentator on
NPR, and as a panelist on public
radio’s Says You!
Meet the Creative Team
Allen Toussaint
(Music and Additional Lyrics)
Allen Toussaint (born January
14, 1938) is an American musician,
songwriter and record producer and
one of the most influential figures
in New Orleans R&B. Mr.
Toussaint has crossed many paths
in his 40-years-plus career in
music. He has produced, written
for, arranged, had his songs
covered by, and performed with
music giants The Judds, Paul
McCartney, Paul Simon, Elvis
Costello, Patti LaBelle, Mac "Dr.
John" Rebennack, Jr., Aaron and
Art Neville, Joe Cocker, The
(original) Meters, Glen Campbell,
The Band, Little Feat, The Rolling
Stones, Devo, Ernie K-Doe, Lee
Dorsey, Irma Thomas, Etta James,
Ramsey Lewis, Eric Gale and the
countless others.
His songs/productions have
been featured in numerous films,
including but not limited to Casino,
Moulin Rouge! and Maid in
Manhattan. He served as musical
director for the off-Broadway play,
Staggerlee, which won the
prestigious Outer Circle Critics
Award.
Toussaint's career began in his
early 20s, when he was hired by
the local Minit Records to
supervise its recording activities,
awaiting the arrival of Harold
Battiste, Jr. Toussaint quickly
accumulated an amazing string of
hits for the label, producing,
writing, arranging, and often
performing on tracks by Ernie KDoe, Irma Thomas, Art and Aaron
Neville, Chris Kenner, and Benny
Spellman, putting his signature
New Orleans sound on the map.
After establishing himself as one of
the greatest songwriters, accredited
to him by BMI Music, Toussaint
was honored with a GrammyⓇ
Toussaint got his shot as a solo
artist with a record for RCA. Two
of his earliest tunes, Java, which
became a mega-hit for trumpeter Al
Hirt, and Whipped Cream, the Herb
Alpert hit, became Al Hirt, and
Whipped Cream, the Herb Alpert
hit, became instrumental standards.
Toussaint then teamed up with Lee
Dorsey, who was often backed by
the funky rhythm section known as
The Meters, turning out a string of
hits that included Working in the
Coal Mine, Holy Cow, Ride Your
Pony and many others. Working in
the Coal Mine was then recorded
by The Judds; Yes We Can Can
became a smash hit by The Pointer
Sisters; Sneakin' Sally Through the
Alley was recorded by both Robert
Palmer and Ringo Starr.
His career includes being
inducted into the Rock and Roll
Hall of Fame. After years of
writing, producing, recording,
arranging, performing, and
conducting, Toussaint's music plays
on. Several of his songs are
commercial themes: Yes We Can
(Slim-Fast) and Working in the
Coal Mine (Walmart).
Toussaint went on putting his
mark on the music business with
his arrangements on LaBelle's hit,
Lady Marmalade, and continuing
with Patti LaBelle through the
early stages of her solo career.
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nomination for 1977's song of the
year, Southern Nights, performed
by Glen Campbell. Years later,
Southern Nights was featured on
MCA's GrammyⓇ-nominated
compilation CD, Rhythm, Country
and Blues, where Toussaint teamed
up with country legend Chet Atkins
to perform his hit.
His productions are
continuously sampled, introducing
them to an entirely new arena of
listeners, such as Louie (ODB) and
Lady Marmalade (Christina
Aguilera, Lil' Kim, Missy Elliot).
The songs Java and Southern
Nights have been credited and cited
for over 2 million airings. The most
recent of Toussaint’s long list of
honors and accolades is the
GrammyⓇ-nominated pop vocal
album of the year, The River in
Reverse, Toussaint’s collaboration
with Elvis Costello.
Meet the Creative Team
More chat
with Mary Pope Osborne and Will Osborne
Q: Having spent so much time in
New Orleans, what did you learn
that was new to you in the
process of researching the book
and the show?
Mary: I guess it was a concern to
me when I wrote the book, and to
Will also, now working in the
show, is that it’s possible a lot of
young people now don’t know
about the early jazz. Just the idea
that such wonderful music would
not be available to young kids —
it’s just too sad.
Will: Mary wanted to find a hook
for kids in addition to the music,
and I had read that New Orleans is
considered possibly the most
haunted city in America. A
particularly haunted place was Jean
Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop, and it
still exists. It’s now a bar, but it’s
preserved exactly as it was in terms
of the architecture. So, we’ve sat
out and had a drink on the sidewalk
in front of Jean Lafitte’s
Blacksmith Shop a few times
realizing that a huge chunk of the
story in the book takes place inside.
And Mary was able to get a floor
plan, weren’t you?
Mary: Yes, from the ‘30s. Even
though that would be 15 years later
than my story, I wanted to have a
bit of the reality in the building. So,
I found this whole floor plan
online, I guess from when they
were reconstructing the building at
some point. Research like that
takes you into amazing details you
never expect to be looking for.
Q: You mentioned before that
kids don’t have access generally
to this music. When they do get
it, why do you think it’s such a
rich experience for them? What
about the music so excites kids?
Will: I think there’s a joy in the
music. It’s without irony, it’s
without comment, it’s just pure joy.
And rhythmically it’s contagious.
The New Orleans rhythm — I
don’t know what the physiology of
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it is, if it’s somehow linked to a
heartbeat or a natural rhythm, but
it’s almost impossible for anybody
of any age to listen to that rhythm
without getting involved physically
in it — foot tapping and
movement. When we’ve gone to
rehearsals for the show, it’s
completely uplifting, even
watching a very, very rough form.
You come out happy. It's music that
makes you happy. Even the blues.
There are quotes about the blues —
it’s not about having the blues, it’s
about singing to get over the blues.
To get the blues out and move on,
and I think that’s true. It sounds
corny, but it’s a life-affirming kind
of music.
Meet the Creative Team
Q: How should teachers prepare
their students to see the show?
Should they talk to them about
jazz, should they talk about Louis
Armstrong? Should they read the
book, not read the book?
Mary: Well, I recommend that they
talk to them about Louis Armstrong
and that they talk about jazz. And
then as an extra treat, we’re going
to give a copy of the book to each
child who sees the show. So I think
that that will make the biggest
impact, to give it after the show
ends. That’s our plan now — it
could change — to have kids
literally line up to get the book
when the show is over, so that
they’ll be motivated, because
motivation is what we’re looking
for with literacy. They’ll be
motivated to jump into the book.
Will: I think they can also help
them understand a little bit of the
history of New Orleans. It might be
useful for teachers to discuss a little
bit the history of segregation and
the reality of that in the South at
that time. It’s touched on lightly in
the show, but I think pretty
effectively, and it’s certainly a
springboard for discussion of
racism and segregation in America
and how far we’ve come. There’s a
line in the show where Jack and
Annie, our kids from the future, are
talking to Louis Armstrong about
how things are going to change.
And when Mary was writing the
book, it was just before the 2008
election. So we have a line where
Jack and Annie tell young Louis
that one day, an African-American
man will run for president of the
United States. And at that point, we
didn’t know if he was going to win.
So, she added the line, "and
millions of people of all colors will
vote for him," because we knew
that whatever happened, that would
be the case. And then, just before it
went to press, the last round of
copy editing was right after the
election. And so we had one of the
characters pipe up, “And he’ll
win!” And at that point, Louis says,
“Okay, now I know I’m dreaming,
but I love this dream.”
Q: What do you recommend
teachers do with all this material
after their students have seen the
show?
Mary: Well, with Magic Tree
House, kids often write their own
stories across the country. It might
be really fun if the kids are so
motivated to do some of their own
creative writing. Of course we wish
for them to pick up a musical
instrument. We would love for
them to listen to old jazz, if
teachers could bring in CDs, if they
could download some Louis
Armstrong music to share in those
wonderful, rich cultural
experiences with their classrooms.
They could have a meal that is
based on the New Orleans dish of
gumbo.
There are all kinds of creative
ways that teachers use Magic Tree
House. We even have our own
classroom program for free for
teachers around the country and we
8
would really, really, really want
teachers to look that up and it's
mthclassroomadventures.org.
And that will give a teacher lesson
plans for that book and every other
book in the Magic Tree House
series and discuss all the fun things
you can do to bring kids into the
excitement of reading and learning.
Will: There are two songs early in
the show. One introduces the band,
the members of the band and what
they play, and the second one is the
song called "What Is Jazz," where
the musicians talk about the
elements of jazz, what makes a
song a jazz song in particular. I
think for teachers to find examples
of great trombone playing, great
drummers from that era and share
that with the kids, so that they
understand the elements that come
together to make that early jazz
sound would be a fun thing for
teachers to do.
Q: Speaking of more modern
musicians, how was working with
(composer) Allen Toussaint?
Will: Ah, for me that is a dream
come true. I’ve been a fan of his for
years and years and years and
years. When I was working with
Murray Horwitz, who is my
collaborator on the book and lyrics,
and we were talking about possible
composers, because Murray was a
cultural programmer for NPR for
many years, he has a lot of contacts
and we discussed possibilities in
the jazz world. I suggested Allen
Toussaint and Murray thought that
Meet the Creative Team
was a good idea, so we put him on
the list. Right about that time,
Mr. Toussaint came out with an
album called Bright Mississippi. It’s
a fantastic CD nominated for lots of
awards. It’s all his arrangements
and performance of traditional New
Orleans music. And it was exactly
the sound we were looking for. For
me, our shortlist became a list of
one. I was just desperate to have
him do the music.
So, Murray knew somebody
who knew him, and sent an e-mail
describing the project and what we
hoped to do in terms of introducing
kids to jazz and generating
enthusiasm among young people
for this kind of music, and sent him
a copy of the book. He sent an email back saying, “sounds
interesting, tell me more.” So we
sent him the book and then we
actually went down and met with
him. And he couldn’t have been
more gracious and warm. He
immediately signed on to the
project.
I started sending him lyrics and
Murray sent him lyrics. And
fabulous music started coming
back. And more than just the piano/
vocal score. He would create these
charts on his synth that had all the
parts played in just wonderful,
wonderful arrangements. It was
exactly the sound we were looking
for. We never had anything other
than just the most minor notes or
suggestions. Everything he did
seemed exactly right for kids,
exactly right for the show, exactly
right for the period. And
throughout, he has been a model of
graciousness and warmth and
generosity. I can’t say enough good
things about him. He is a saint.
Q: So, what can you and your
wife tell teachers and students
about the experience you had
collaborating with Murray
Horwitz and with Allen
Toussaint, and what lessons can
you give to people about
collaboration in general?
Mary: Well, my lesson was just to
turn it over to the boys, and to
rejoice in what they were doing.
There’s an old Irish storytelling
saying that goes, “take my story
and make it better.” And every time
I've given something to Will, he
makes it better, especially through
music. So, I’ve just been nothing
but a cheerleader. And his role is
quite different.
Will: The whole theatrical
experience is collaboration from
beginning to end, and I think that’s
a wonderful lesson for kids. In the
show we have a song called
“Gumbo,” and it’s about mixing
things together. Louis is sort of
extrapolating a metaphor from the
dish. There’s a line, “everything
gets better side by side with
something else.” I think if you can
keep your ego out of the way, then
allow everybody to bring their own
creative strengths to the table, the
project is only going to get better
and better and better the more you
work together. And that’s really the
lesson for kids — everybody has
different strengths and different
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talents. And when you combine
everybody’s different talents, you
come up with a whole that’s richer
and deeper and more satisfying for
everybody, including the audience.
Q: One final question. In the
script, you never say the show
takes place on Halloween — it’s
always the night before All Saints
Day, Nov. 1. Is there a particular
reason for that?
Mary: I love the magic of All
Saints Day, which is very much a
part of New Orleans. I did another
Tree House years ago that involved
Halloween. I thought this would be
a different kind of a slant on the
same time of year, a very New
Orleans thing. I didn’t want to deal
with the macabre, but I think
having a ghost be a part of the story
adds an element that’s appropriate
to All Saints Day. I don’t know if
that really answers your question,
but —
Q: No, that makes perfect sense.
And I think also when you — I’m
not going to put this very
elegantly, but when you wave
Halloween in front of kids, they
get really distracted.
Mary: That’s true.
Will: And we didn’t want anything
in it to feel like a Halloween show.
We want it to have more the feel of
Mardi Gras. The parade in the show
should feel more like a Mardi Gras
parade than a Halloween parade.
Before the Performance:
Meet the Characters
Jack and Annie: A brother and sister who discover a magical tree house filled books that take
them on adventures to different times and places throughout history. In this adventure, they are
sent back to New Orleans in 1915.
Dipper: A young Louis Armstrong, before he became known as the King of Jazz.
Little Mac, Happy, and Big Nose: Dipper’s friends who are also musicians that play gigs
throughout New Orleans.
Before the Performance:
Play Synopsis
In A Night in New Orleans: A Magic Tree House Adventure, we meet a band of Musicians, who introduce
themselves (“My Name Is”) and tell the story of Jack and Annie (“Early Jazz”). Jack and Annie are sent by
Merlin on their next mission to find and convince a young Louis Armstrong to continue working on his gift
of playing the trumpet so that he might one day become the King of Jazz and inspire millions with his
music. They find a book in the Magic Tree House entitled “A History of New Orleans Music” (“What Is
Jazz?”); they also find a magic trumpet that will bring them help when they face their greatest danger, but
will only work once--after that, it will become an ordinary trumpet. Jack and Annie make a wish and are
whisked back in time to Jackson Square in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1915 (“Spin”).
!
! Jack and Annie learn that they have arrived on October 31st, on the eve of All Saints’ Day... a night
considered the spookiest night of the year and a good time to see ghosts! Jack and Annie soon meet Little
Mack, Happy, and Big Nose, some kids who are singing in the streets. When Jack and Annie ask about
Louis Armstrong, the fellas direct them to Dipper, a fourteen-year-old who is leading a mule-drawn coal
cart, singing cheerfully as he works. It turns out that Dipper is a young Louis Armstrong! Jack and Annie
introduce themselves and offer to help Dipper in his work.
! As they deliver coal, Dipper sings (“Coal Cart Blues”). Jack and Annie try to convince him to make his
living making music. They are interrupted by Little Mack, Happy and Big Nose asking Dipper to come
play his trumpet with them at a parade, but Dipper turns them down because he has to work. After the
fellas leave, Jack and Annie learn that Dipper wouldn’t go play music with them because he has to make
money to support his family. Dipper demonstrates to Jack and Annie that you don’t have to march in a
parade to make music, that music can be found everywhere around them (“Scat Song;” “Music
Everywhere”).
! After all the coal is delivered, Jack and Annie help Dipper haul bananas at the docks (“Boom Boom”),
but all three shout and drop their banana bunches when a rat appears and scurries about the dock. Jack,
Annie and Dipper then talk about the things that frighten them (“Scaredy Stuff”). Once done hauling
bananas, Dipper takes Jack and Annie to a restaurant and shares a bowl of spicy gumbo with Jack and
Annie (“Gumbo”), and Dipper leaves them, sneaking back to the restaurant to wash dishes to pay for their
food. Jack and Annie find him there and help Dipper wash dishes (“Clarinet”).
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Before the Performance:
Play Synopsis, continued
The three decide to get some dessert when they are interrupted by an oncoming storm (“Storm Comin’”).
They find shelter in an abandoned blacksmith shop once owned by the famous pirate, Jean Lafitte, and are
joined by Little Mac, Happy and Big Nose, who are also seeking shelter from the storm. The fellas leave
shortly after, saying that they have a gig to play and need to get there before the storm gets worse. The door
slams behind them as they leave, and Jack, Annie and Dipper are unable to open it: they are stuck in the dark,
spooky shop! They begin to hear scary noises, and Annie, deciding this is their moment of greatest danger,
plays the magic trumpet (“Annie’s Magic Trumpet”). The scary noises stop, and Little Mac, Happy, and Big
Nose appear: they were trying to play a joke on Jack, Annie and Dipper by pretending to be ghosts but the
magic trumpet stopped them.
!
! Just then, the ghosts of Jean Lafitte and his band of pirates appear and frightens the children (“Ghost
Ship”); but Dipper grabs the trumpet and begins playing a joyful tune (“Dipper’s Trumpet Solo”). Little Mac,
Happy and Big Nose sing along with Dipper’s trumpet (“Heebie Jeebie Dance”), and the ghosts are so
delighted with the music that they dance themselves away.
! Little Mac, Happy and Big Nose are impressed with Dipper’s trumpet playing, and they invite him to join
them to play music on a riverboat that night. Dipper declines, and the fellas leave. Jack and Annie try to
convince Dipper to go and play music that night, but he steps away to get beignets--hot French donuts
covered in powdered sugar--for the three of them. Jack and Annie decide that they will need to tell Dipper
the truth about who he is destined to become. When he returns, they ask him about his music; Dipper tells
them the story of how he got into trouble when he was younger and was sent to the Waif’s Home for two
years (“Pay the Price”). While in the Waif’s Home, Dipper promised himself that when he got out, he would
keep on the right path and would take care of his family for the rest of his life.
! Jack and Annie explain to Dipper that musicians with his talent can make enough money to take care of
their families, and that music is the right path for him. They read to him from the book “A History of New
Orleans Magic,” and they show him a picture of himself as an adult playing music in front of thousands of
people. Dipper recognizes the picture: it’s the picture he carries around in his heart of how he hopes to play
music one day (“The Dream in My Heart”).
! Dipper decides to join the fellas to play music on the riverboat that night. He tells Jack and Annie to get
home before the curfew goes into effect, and advises them to take the streetcar home. Jack and Annie ask
Dipper to ride the streetcar with them, but he let’s them know that, “Black folks aren’t allowed to sit with
white folks.” Jack and Annie assure him that one day, things will change. They send him on his way to the
riverboat, giving him the magic horn, explaining that every time he plays it, it will be magic.
11
Before the Performance
A Night in New Orleans
Vocabulary
All Saints Day: A Christian holiday celebrated on November 1st to honor the saints; in New Orleans it is
traditional to visit cemeteries and bring flowers to the graves of the deceased.
beignet (BEN-yay): A square, deep-fried pastry served hot and sprinkled with powdered sugar.
blacksmith: A person who forges and shapes iron with a hammer and anvil.
blues: A type of song that originated among African-Americans at the beginning of the 20th century which has
a melancholy sound.
Camelot: The legendary kingdom of King Arthur.
curfew: A requirement that after a specific time certain activities, such as being outside on the streets, are not
allowed.
gig: A scheduled live performance for a musician or band.
gumbo: A thick, spicy chicken and sausage or seafood soup seasoned with okra and served over rice.
heebie-jeebies: A feeling of extreme nervousness.
improvisation: The act of making something up as you go along, usually used in the context of music or
theater.
Jackson Square: A historic park in the center of the French Quarter, the oldest section of New Orleans.
jazz: A lively kind of music which originated in New Orleans around the beginning of the 20th century and
developed throughout the U.S. in which musicians often improvised melodies.
Jean Lafitte: An early 19th-century pirate of French descent who smuggled goods in and out of New Orleans.
jive: A style of jazz played by big bands with flowing rhythms.
Merlin: The legendary wizard who was King Arthur’s teacher and advisor.
Morgan le Fay: An enchantress and sister of King Arthur.
paddy wagon: A van used by police to transport prisoners.
rhythm: The pattern of regular or irregular pulses caused in
music by the occurrence of strong and weak melodic and harmonic
beats.
scat singing: A kind of jazzing singing where nonsense syllables
are substituted for words and the singer tries to sound like a
musical instrument.
streetcar: A wheeled vehicle that runs on rails and is propelled by
electricity.
waif: A homeless child, especially one who is orphaned.
12
Before the Performance:
In the Classroom
Resources" in the Teacher's
Guide) and answer these
questions:
3.
Before the Performance
1. Students can think up an
original way to take a “magic”
trip to New Orleans. Have
them visit the New Orleans for
Kids website
(neworleanskids.com). Each
student should check out three
places he or she would most
like to visit and write the first
short chapter of a personal
travel book. (Be sure they
devise a magical way home!)
2. Wynton Marsalis is also a
famous trumpet player who
was born in New Orleans
about 60 years after Louis
Armstrong. Have the class
listen to him play the classical
piece Flight of the Bumblebee,
then listen to him perform Jazz
in Marciac 2000 with his
band. Discuss the differences
between classical music and
jazz. How are they the same?
How are they different? Which
do the students like better?
Why?
3. Students can hold a pencil in
each hand, using the eraser to
beat time to Armstrong's band
playing Basin Street Blues. Do
the same with Marsalis and his
band, playing at the 2009
Marciac festival. Do you think
jazz changed between 1915
and 2009? If so, how?
4. Students should read about
the history of music in New
Orleans (see "Did You
Know?" and "More
13
•Who were the people who
created jazz?
•Where did many of the tunes
originally come from?
•What did those musicians do to
turn the tunes into jazz?
•Why did Armstrong have so
much success with his raspy
voice and his trumpet?
•Why is New Orleans still so
important to jazz music?
•Why do students think jazz has
changed so much between
Armstrong's time and Marsalis'
time?
5. Armstrong had several
nicknames. Have students find
them in their research and
write them down. Then let
them explain why he had so
many!
6. Have students ask a music
teacher or a trumpet player
what they must do to get a
good sound from a trumpet.
They should ask about his or
her “embouchure," or the way
the mouth is applied to the
instrument. Students can look
in a mirror and try fixing the
muscles of their faces so they
know what a trumpeter’s
embouchure feels like. Is it
hard to do?
During the Performance
Theater is a Team Sport
The Playwright writes the script. Sometimes it is from an original idea and sometimes it is adapted from a
book or story. The Playwright decides what the characters say, and gives the Designers guidelines on how the
play should look.
The Director creates the vision for the production and works closely with the
actors, costume, set and lighting designers to make sure everyone tells the same
story.
The Actors use their bodies and voices to bring the author’s words and the
director’s ideas to life on the stage.
Sound Designer Bruce Bowes
The Designers imagine and create the lights, scenery, props, costumes and sound
that will compliment and complete the director’s vision.
The Stage Manager assists the director during rehearsals
by recording their instructions and making sure the actors
and designers understand these ideas. The Stage Manager
then runs the show during each performance by calling
cues for lights and sound, as well as entrances and exits.
The Shop and Stage Crew builds the set, props and
costumes according to the designer’s plans. The Stage Crew
sets the stage with props and furniture, assists the actors
with costume changes and operates sound, lighting and stage
machinery during each performance.
Photo: Rob Jones
Costume Designers
Denise Warner and Mel Barger
Photo: Rob Jones
Stage Manager Amy Nicole Davis
The Front of House Staff welcomes you to the theater,
takes your tickets, helps you find your seat and answers any
question you may have on the day of performance.
Photo: Rob Jones
The Theater is where it all takes place. Orlando Shakespeare Theater In Partnership
with UCF is the only professional, classical theater company in Central Florida,
reaching students and audiences in the surrounding eight counties.
Box Office Manager Gina Yolango
Mission/Vision:
Photo: Rob Jones
With Shakespeare as our standard and inspiration, the Orlando Shakespeare Theater
In Partnership with UCF produces bold professional theater, develops new plays,
and provides innovative educational experiences that enrich our community. Our vision is to create theater of
extraordinary quality that encourages the actor/audience relationship, embraces the passionate use of
language, and ignites the imagination.
14
During the Performance
The Actor/Audience Relationship
The Audience is the reason Live Theater exists. At Orlando Shakes, we cherish the Actor/
Audience relationship, the unique give and take that exists during a performance which makes the
audience an ACTIVE participant in the event. The actors see the audience just as the audience
sees the actors, and every, laugh, sniffle, chuckle and gasp the audience makes effects the way the
actor plays his next moment. We want you to be engaged, and to live the story with us!
There are certain Conventions of the Theatrical Event, such as when the lights go down,
you know that the show is about to start, and that the audience isn’t encouraged to come and go
during a performance. Here are some other tips to help you and your classmates be top notch
audience members:
Please make sure to turn off your cell phones. And NO TEXTING!
• Please stay in your seat. Try to use the restroom before you take your seat and stay in
your seat unless there is an emergency.
• Please do not eat or drink in the theater.
•
15
After the Performance
In the Classroom
1. Plan an online field trip to the Louis Armstrong House Museum, 34-56 107th St. in Corona,
Queens, N.Y. Armstrong and his wife, Lucille, moved to the modest home in 1943 and it remains
much as it was at the time of his death in 1971. On its famous stoop, Armstrong entertained
celebrities, dignitaries and children from the neighborhood. There are guided tours, audio clips,
exhibits and a Japanese-style garden. (louisarmstronghouse.org); a Teacher's Kit is also available.
2. Pair off students and have each team read another Magic Tree House book by Mary Pope Osborne.
Using just the first two chapters, ask students to write a play together about the story so far. They
must create at least two characters, a short description of the scenery for the play and at least one
action that involves one or more of the characters.
3. Listen to Hoots the Owl teach scat singing on Sesame Street or to Cab Calloway singing scat. (See
"More Resources.") Using the song Happy Birthday, have students attempt some scat singing,
adding notes and rhythms to change it a little.
4. Using Energy Kids/Coal (energykids.eu), have students research how coal is mined. Discuss how
heavy it is and how hard it was for young Louis to deliver it to lots of places. He sang as he
worked. Have the class compose a song that reflects such hard work. Or ask students to create a
dance that would show how hard Louis worked as a boy.
5. Ask students if they think A Night In New Orleans conveyed the real atmosphere — the
surroundings — in which Armstrong grew up. Discuss the ways in which the show’s writers
followed the original story. What about the songs? Did they add to the students' enjoyment of the
show?
6. Find a book about instruments and have students draw a diagram of all the parts of a trumpet,
labeling each. Then have them craft a trumpet out of clay.
7. Using pictures of Armstrong on allposters.com for reference, have students paint or sketch a
portrait of Armstrong, depicting him playing the trumpet.
16
After the Performance
Reflect, Connect, Expand
Asking questions that lead children up the “thinking ladder”.
Use the following pattern in asking questions:
1. Ask OPEN questions to encourage and engage children.
2. Ask FOCUSED questions to elicit and organize specific information
3. Ask CONNECTING questions to help children learn to see the relationships between events,
characters and ideas.
4. Ask broad questions to help children GENERALIZE/ learn to draw conclusions.
OPEN question examples:
 What did you notice at the play today….Anything at all… What did you see?
 What about the play was different from the book?
 What surprised you?
 What impressed you?
 (Accept, record and read all responses on the board, chart or overhead for all to see.)
FOCUSED questions: (questions that probe children’s’ insights)
 What was Jack ________ about? (________.)
 How did Annie think they could solve this problem? (________)
ANALYZING/CONNECTING questions:
 What did Jack and Annie learn about ________?
 Why do you think Louis ________?
Tell us what you think
After watching the play, write Orlando Shakespeare Theater a “Friendly Letter” and tell us
what you think! Tell what you liked or disliked about the story, the characters, costumes, or set.
Make sure to use the 5 parts of the letter listed in the lesson and to support your thoughts with
examples and reasons.
Mail to: Orlando Shakespeare Theater
Education Department,
812 E. Rollins Street, Orlando, FL 32803.
Teacher’s comments are appreciated!
17
Mary Pope Osborneʼs Classroom Adventures Program
The Classroom Adventures
Program is Mary Pope
Osborne's gift to teachers who
have inspired her with their
dedication to their students and
their creative use of Magic Tree
House books in the classroom.
Program resources are provided
free of charge online and
include:
Giving Educators the Tools
Needed to Instill Excitement
for Reading and Learning in
Children
The mission of Mary Pope
Osborne's Classroom
Adventures Program is to use
kids' love of Magic Tree House
adventures and their
identification with Jack and Annie
to spark interest in learning
across the curriculum and
accomplish classroom
requirements in creative,
meaningful and long-lasting
ways.
- A complete "Curriculum Key"
that classifies every Magic Tree
House book and non-fiction Fact
Tracker with regard to subjects
and core curriculum standards.
- A Reading Level Guide for all
books and non-fiction Fact
Tracker in the series.
- Individual Lesson Plans for
each book in the series including
lesson plans specifically tailored
for Special Education
classrooms.
“The Classroom Adventures
Program is designed to help
teachers who are looking for
creative ways to engage their
students and still meet the
curriculum standards. I like to
describe the initiative as a “Gift
of Time.” Mary Pope Osborne
In addition, through Mary Pope
Osborne's Gift of
Books program, Mary provides
for a gift of Magic Tree
House books to children in Title 1
and other underserved schools
across the country. Proposals
submitted through the Classroom
Adventures website are reviewed
and grants are awarded to Title 1
teachers allowing them to order
the Magic Tree House books
they need for their classrooms
through the non-profit
organization, First Book.
Visit our website:
MTHClassroomAdventures.org
More Resources
Websites for Students
Videos
Books for Students
eia.gov/kids/energy.cfm?
page=coal_home-basics
Energy Kids lesson on coal.
Cab Calloway sings scat on Sesame
Street. squidoo.com/nonsense-songs
de Jong, Klaas. Kids Play Blues.
Book with CD trumpet. De Haske
Publications.
tripadvisor.com/Guideg60864-1273New_Orleans_Louisiana.html
New Orleans for kids.
allposters.com/-st/LouisArmstrong-Posters_c1450_.htm?
AID=2020321730
Pictures of Armstrong to adapt into
original artwork.
Louis Prima's role in Disney's The
Jungle Book. ebaumsworld.com/
video/watch/81862665
Sesame Street's Hoots the Owl
teaches kids about scat singing.
youtube.com/watch?
v=rT1Kuy922c0
18
Woods, Brenda. Saint Louis
Armstrong Beach. Puffin, 2012.
Books for Teachers
Wood, Marilyn. DK Eyewitness
Travel Guide: New Orleans. DK
Travel, 2012.
More Resources
Websites for Teachers
barnesandnoble.com/s/?
category_id=826108
A list of all the Magic Tree House
books.
gmc.edu/library/neworleans/
The Institute for New Orleans
History and Culture, GwyneddMercy College. Resource for
cuisine and music of New Orleans.
aviewoncities.com/neworleans/
frenchquarter.htm
The French Quarter, before and
after Hurricane Katrina.
wyntonmarsalis.org/about/bio
Wynton Marsalis bio and Jazz at
Lincoln Center.
teacher.scholastic.com/activities/
bhistory/history_of_jazz.htm\
The beginnings of jazz.
gonola.com/2011/10/26/nolahistory-jean-lafitte-the-pirate.html
GO NOLA's history of Jean Lafitte.
DVDs for Teachers
Jazz Icons: Louis Armstrong Live in
'59. Tdk DVD Video, 2006.
The Portrait Collection: Louis
Armstrong. Hip-O Records, 2008.
CDs for Teachers
Make It Funky! Aaron Neville,
Allen Toussaint, Amadee Castenell,
more. Sony Pictures Home
Entertainment, 2005.
Definitive Collection. Louis
Armstrong. Hip-O Records,2006.
Credits
pbskids.org/jazz/lesson/index.html
Louis Armstrong for Kids. "What Is
Jazz?" lesson plan.
Ella & Louis. Armstrong with Ella
Fitzgerald. Polygram Records,
2000.
u-s-history.com/pages/h3768.html
Armstrong bio and commentary.
The Complete Louis Armstrong
Decca Sessions (1935-1946).
Mosaic Records, 1935 original
release date.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Louis_Armstrong#Nickname
Armstrong bio on Wikipedia.
Goin' Home: A Tribute to Fats
Domino. Vanguard Records, 2007.
19
Photo of Mary Pope Osborne by
Elena Seibert
Photo of A Night in New Orleans by
Yasmeen Anderson
Photo of young Louis Armstrong
courtesy of the Louis Armstrong
House Museum